Books That Make Readers Feel Stupid

Reading should be a pleasurable experience. Most of us work really hard throughout the day, looking forward to that spare moment when we can relax and lose ourselves in a good book. Honestly, I’m proud to be an avid reader. Book readers tend to be of above-average intelligence. And reading is supposed to make us smarter. But some books have made me feel the opposite of intelligent. There are some books that I haven’t understood. There are some books that I didn’t “get.” And then there are some books that just made me feel stupid.

Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce

First of all, I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I believe the United States actually put astronauts on the moon. I don’t think FDR knew about Pearl Harbor ahead of time. But I believe Finnegan’s Wake is a cruel literary joke. Personally, I believe James…